


breath finds her way out

by deadlifts



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22739968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadlifts/pseuds/deadlifts
Summary: Hapi sighs. The result is unexpected.
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund/Hapi (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 123





	breath finds her way out

Sometimes Hapi just wants to sigh. 

To most, it may seem like a minor inconvenience. After all, sighing isn’t a necessary action. It isn’t like blinking or breathing. It’s merely one method of expressing oneself among many possibilities. No one _needs_ to sigh. 

But when she’s bored, or remembering the difficulties of her past, or even when she’s simply tired, Hapi occasionally feels the urge. If she isn’t out in the open, alone, she immediately quells it. She would never intentionally risk endangering innocent bystanders, no matter how strong her want. Stifling the feeling does little to snuff out the longing in her chest, though — she still harbors the desire to exhale like a normal person. 

There is no reason for her to feel such a strong longing today. Nothing negative has happened and she isn’t even as bored as she normally finds herself. Regardless, the feeling is there, uncomfortably nagging within her lungs. It makes her feel claustrophobic, not unlike her time in captivity, and that, in turn, is enough to drive her into action. 

She leaves the monastery grounds and goes deep into the woods, far enough off of the beaten path that no one will accidentally happen upon the danger. Only when she’s positive that she will remain alone does she find a rock on which to sit. 

She takes a breath — 

— and she sighs. Once only, because she will have to fight the monster when it arrives and she doesn’t want to wind up surrounded, but it is enough. As soon as the breath leaves her lungs she feels better. Settled. No longer trapped within herself. 

Then she waits. 

It takes longer than usual — long enough that Hapi almost considers that her sigh didn’t work. But then she hears it: a light rustling through the brush, something coming her way. It must be a small monster, because the ground doesn’t shake and she hears no roar. 

“Oh,” the monster says as it comes into view. “Hapi?” 

It isn’t a monster at all — it’s Marianne. 

Hapi stands, eyes widening. “Mari? What are you doing here?” 

“Um…” Marianne wrings her hands together, looking unsure. “I don’t know...I was walking back from town and…” She trails off. 

“And what?” Hapi prompts. Instead of the desire to sigh, there’s a new, stranger feeling in her chest, one she can’t place. 

“I felt I had to come here.” Marianne dips her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” 

Hapi approaches her. She looks at her — _really_ looks — but sees nothing that would explain this. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here.” She means it, and therefore says it with more energy than she usually gives her words. 

“Really?” Marianne asks, looking up in surprise. 

“Yeah,” Hapi replies. “I am.” 

Marianne is not a beast, and yet there is something within her that drew her to the sigh. A quick glance around them shows that nothing else has arrived. She was enough to answer the call. 

In a way, Marianne has saved her. 

“Do you want to walk back together?” Hapi asks. 

“Oh. Um, sure.” Marianne looks a little relieved by the offer. 

Hapi doesn’t smile when she agrees, but when she looks at Marianne, she feels that strange, foreign sensation in her chest once again. 

It feels like hope. 

It makes her sigh unbidden — out of relief, surprise, and maybe even a little joy — and as soon as she does, she pauses to wait for the fallout. But all that happens is this: Marianne gives her a small smile and shyly asks, “Are you ready?” 

They walk together. Hapi feels free.


End file.
